Until The End
by InnocentSorrow
Summary: IY/FFX After the quest for the jewel shards was completed and Naraku defeated, Kagome is sent to the world of Spira. Without any knowledge of Sin, Summoners, and the like, how is she to survive the newest task given to her? Tidus/Kagome
1. Prologue

"We did it," a soft voice whispered gently. She was kneeling on the ground in front of many graves. Mindless of the tears streaming down her face, she placed a bouquet of wildflowers at the foot of each of her friends' graves. "I'm so sorry it turned out this way…"

With a heavy sigh, she wiped away her tears and forced herself to her feet. She pushed her aching muscles to their limit, trying to head for the partially ruined well. The final battle had taken place in the well's clearing, and many attacks had landed around the stone structure with several actually hitting the well.

She was amazed that it was still standing, but very thankful. She had lost one set of family, she couldn't bear to lose her other. She sat on the lip of the well, taking in her surroundings one last time. Without warning, the walls of the well crumbled and she fell into the darkness.

A shout made her open her eyes. Taking in her surroundings, she was scared to find everything unrecognizable. Her only thought as she let the darkness claim her was '_I guess I lost them all_'.


	2. Chapter 1

"Hey, are you alright?"

Kagome groaned as she forced her eyes open. Fighting the urge to blink against the sun, she looked around and found herself staring at 3 men. All of whom were looking at her with varying degrees of worry.

"Are you alright miss?" the man dressed in funny looking robes asked.

"I feel like I was hit by a bus," she moaned, slowly bringing her hand to her aching head.

"What's a bus?" she heard someone whisper.

"I haven't the faintest idea. Maybe she hit her head," another voice whispered back.

Kagome whimpered softly. "What happened?" She struggled to sit up and was thankful when the robed man helped her.

"My guardians and I were just leaving Bevelle on our pilgrimage when you fell from the sky."

"I fell from the sky?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, hell of a trip that must've been."

"Don't be so crass Jecht."

Kagome took a second to study each man. They were all fairly young, older than her no doubt, but none of them bore any wrinkles or gray hairs.

The one who has just scolded Jecht was decked in black pants and a sleeveless black shirt with a long red trenchcoat-type jacket. Strapped to his back was a long sword that reminded Kagome of the transformed Tessusaiga. His long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few stray hairs framing his serious face.

Jecht was the complete opposite of that man. He wore very little; a pair of shorts with a half-skirt and suspenders that hung at his legs. He wore nothing else except for an armored glove that covered his entire arm. A red cloth tied around his head kept the long brown mess that was his hair, out of his eyes. His tan body was littered with scars and a large J-shaped mark covered most of his chest. He also carried a large sword that rested at his waist.

The final man was in her opinion by far the weirdest. His robes reminded her of a flower, with the many layers that looked like petals. It was floor-length, covering his feet completely. And the sleeves flowed past his hands. His middle was protected by silver armor, and he wore an odd sort of metal headdress. His long grayish-blue hair hung on either side of his face in limp pig-tails. He reminded her of Miroku with the large staff that he held. He was much too old to have guardians.

"What do you mean they're your guardians? Aren't you a little old for guardians?"

The two men, whose names she didn't know, cast her a weird look. "No. I am a summoner, and both Auron and Jecht are my guardians."

"Ok, I'm just going to act like I know what the hell they're talking about," she muttered to herself softly. But apparently it wasn't soft enough, as all 3 men heard her clearly.

"You live in Spira yet you don't know what a summoner is?" the man, now identified as Auron, asked incredulously.

"Spira?" Kagome asked, her voice suddenly taking on a hint of panic. "I live in Tokyo."

The three men once again exchanged glances. "We know not of this Tokyo you speak of."

The young woman took a deep breath trying to keep herself from hyperventilating. "Breathe. Maybe I'm just dreaming all of this. I fell down the well and got hit by a piece of the wall. I'm just unconscious… Please Kami, let me wake up."

"Miss, I can assure you, you are not dreaming. You are in Spira. Although I don't know why you can't seem to remember anything… perhaps you came in contact with Sin's toxins?"

"Who's Sin?"

"Lord Braska, surely Sin's toxins aren't this potent… perhaps she's a fiend in human disguise?"

"I don't know about a fiend. A vixen on the other hand is a big possibility."

Kagome bristled at that comment given the fact that she knew exactly what a vixen was and did. "I am not a whore," she hissed angrily at Jecht.

"Woah now, calm down. And you two, behave yourself. She's just a young woman. Now miss-"

"Kagome."

"What?"

"My name. It's Kagome. I don't like being called by something that's not my name," she said softly.

"Alright, Kagome. Why don't you travel with us for a little while and we can hopefully help you regain your memory."

"I don't think it's my memory that's the problem," she whispered, "But if you are offering, I would like to accompany you all."

"Lord Braska, we're on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin, not to help every stray person that comes along!" Once again it was Auron that objected.

"Quiet Auron. She's just a young girl."

"I'm not a little girl! I'm 17."

"Ah but Kagome, 17 is young compared to all of us," Braska said gently. She could tell he was faintly amused by her. "Auron is 25. Jecht here is 27, and I myself am already 30."

Kagome couldn't help but stare at them in slight awe. None of them looked their age. But then again, she didn't have a clue about this place she was in, for all she knew they could age differently than she.

"Come, first we head to the Isle of Besaid."

She followed behind the 3 men silently, thinking about what was going on. '_Please just let this be a dream. I want to wake up and find myself at the bottom of the well house in my time with Mom and grandpa and Souta waiting for me, worrying if I'm ok. I don't want to go through this again; ending up in a place I know nothing about with only random strangers to help me. Please… I just want to mourn in peace._'

Kagome lay curled in the fetal position in the bed she was given. The rocking of the boat they were on did little to soothe her. She tried desperately to hold back her tears, but despite her efforts they still slid down her face continuously; she didn't waste the energy to wipe them away.

"Are you crying?" a voice asked incredulously. "Aren't you a little too old to cry?"

Kagome opened an eye to glance at Jecht before she shifted and buried herself further into the mattress. "No one's too old to cry; especially when they've got a good reason for it."

"A good reason? What, just because you don't know what's going on? Join the club. You're just like me."

Kagome shot up and snarled at the scarred man, "I just lost my families and my friends in all of 36 hours. And when I try to go home to mourn in peace what happens? I lose the rest of my family and instead I end up in a place I know nothing about with a cold-hearted bastard like you that's trying to patronize me!"

Jecht took a step back in surprise. The air around her was crackling in her anger and even though he didn't know what was causing it or what_ it_ was, he was wary of it.

"Now can you _please_ just leave me alone? I just want to sleep. Please…" her voice was soft and all but begging.

Feeling guilty and uncomfortable he just grunted and walked out of the room only to come to a halt when he found himself face to face with Braska.

"You really didn't need to be quite so insensitive Jecht."

"Oh save it for someone else Braska. I don't do well with cry-babies."

The summoner just 'hmm'ed and walked around him into the room containing the distraught teenager. Shutting the door behind him, Braska quietly walked over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I thought I asked you to leave me alone," she sighed wearily.

"Did you? I'm afraid I didn't hear that."

The gentle voice that was definitely not Jecht's made her turn and sit up. She quickly wiped away her tears lest she get made fun of again. His next statement however made her tears flow anew.

"It's ok to cry Kagome. It's ok, just not too much."

Kagome bit her lip to hold back a sob and nodded as her tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face in her dirty pants she cried quietly

"Oh Kagome…" Braska said softly. He slowly reached out and gently ran his hand through her hair. His actions only made her cry worse. "What's the matter Kagome? Am I making things worse?"

"My tou-san…" she whispered. "You remind me of my tou-san… He died when I was 7…"

Without another word Braska wrapped his arms around the distraught miko and brought her into his lap. He rocked her tenderly as she cried, whispering soothing nonsense into her ear. Soon her breathing slowed and evened out, but although she was sleeping tears still continued to leak from her eyes.

Braska stayed with her for a little while longer. After he was sure she would sleep for at least a few hours he gently laid her down on the bed and pulled the sheet over her.

"You know Kagome," Braska started.

She looked up at the man beside her curiously. After 2 weeks of traveling together he was starting to feel like a father-figure to her.

"You remind me a lot of my daughter Yuna. She's very curious about everything; she just loves to ask questions. And although she would rather avoid conflicts, she has no problem standing up to anyone, even people older and much bigger than her. She's only 7 which makes me a little worried about her. You said you lost your father when you were 7 too… I just hope she turns out alright, kind of like you actually."

Kagome smiled at him and tried to inch a little closer to him inconspicuously. He noticed however and with a small smile he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her even closer.

"Ya know Braska, I never took ya for the type to hit on girls half your age."

Kagome scowled at Jecht, after 2 weeks of him, she was so very tempted to make _him_ a subjugation necklace. That thought made her immediately think back to all her friends in the Feudal Era and her eyes suddenly filled with tears.

Braska noticed the change in Kagome almost instantly and glared at Jecht, "Be silent Jecht. I treat Kagome like my daughter, nothing more and nothing less. I was happily married and I won't knowingly have anyone go through what I went through when she died."

They approached the Al Bhed rest stop located on the Mi'ihen Highroad and walked inside intent on getting some rest in an actual bed. Auron walked up to the woman behind the counter to get them rooms while Jecht went to look at the weapons and armor the shop had in stock.

"Braska, ec dryd oui?" (Is that you?)

Both Braska and Kagome, who were still standing near the door, turned to see who just spoke.

"Rin. Ed ec kuut du caa oui. Fryd yna oui tuehk rana?" (It is good to see you. What are you doing here?)

"Famm ed _ec_ so crub. E fyc zicd tuehk y nuideha lralgib." (Well it _is_ my shop. I was just doing a routine checkup.)

Kagome frowned and elbowed Braska lightly, reminding him that he was still holding her close to him and ignoring her. Unfortunately for him, Kagome hated being ignored.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kagome. This is Rin, he's the Al Bhed that owns the travel agencies that we'll be seeing along the pilgrimage. Rin, this is Kagome." He gestured to the small-figured girl standing next to him with a smile, only to frown when she growled softly and stalked away.

He watched her approach Auron and after a few seconds he nodded and led her to the hallway holding the rooms. A quiet chuckle made him turn and scowl at Rin.

"Ouin haf fusyh Braska?" (Your new woman Braska?)

"She's not my love interest Rin."

"Oh?"

"She came into contact with Sin and has lost her memories. She's only traveling with us until she remembers everything."

"Hm… E caa…" (I see…)

"Ev oui'mm aqlica sa, E fuimt mega du nacd vun y ped." (If you'll excuse me, I would like to rest for a bit.)

"Uv luinca. kuut milg uh ouin pilgrimage." (Of course. Good luck on your pilgrimage.)

With a nod to Rin, Braska quickly entered the hallway where Kagome and Auron had disappeared. Auron was just closing the door to one of the rooms as he neared.

"What did you do? The girl seems very upset."

Braska growled uncharacteristically, "I don't know. That's the problem. Did she mention anything to you?"

"Not really. She just asked me to show her the room and asked me to wake her in the morning before she bid me goodnight."

He sighed, "Which room is mine?"

Auron pointed to the one across the hall from where they stood in front of Kagome's door.

Braska thanked him but instead of going to it he entered Kagome's instead. He shut the door before Auron could say anything and slowly approached the bed where Kagome's huddled form was clearly visible. "Kagome… I'm not sure what exactly it is that I've done to upset you but I am very sorry. And if you'd tell me what is it I'll be sure never to do it again."

Kagome pulled her face away from her knees and Braska was surprised to find tears on her cheeks. He silently climbed into the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered softly.

"Why are you sorry? It's obviously my fault that you're this upset."

"No… it's not… not really. It's just, I don't like to be ignored. Before, when I was with my old family and friends, I was always getting ignored by those I cared about, it seems like no one cares about me even though I care for them. I'm sorry, it just… bothers me a little."

"I see. Although I don't know why anyone would deliberately disregard you, trust that I will never again ignore you."

Kagome smiled gently and snuggled into his robes. With a soft sigh she quickly fell asleep against the summoner.

Braska smiled down at the teenager indulgently and carefully laid her on the bed and covered her with the blankets. As quietly as he could, he left her room and entered his own.


	3. Chapter 2

Kagome shivered as the frigid water lapped at her already soaked body. She had no idea why she was here, or where the hell here was exactly. She didn't know how she even got here for that matter. Just a few minutes ago she had been lounging around her house at an oasis in the Bikanel Desert.

She shivered again as a chill stole through her body. She rubbed her arms in a futile attempt to warm herself. There had to be a reason she was here. As that thought passed through her head she noticed a figure approaching her on the exposed ruins.

"Hey! Are you alright?"

With just a hint of déjà vu, Kagome pushed herself up and nodded. "Yeah I think so, just a little cold."

"What are you doing in a place like this, dressed like that?"

She glanced down at her attire. She wore a black sleeveless shirt and baggy black pants that engulfed her tiny frame. She really needed to invest in some of her own clothing. She turned her attention back to him and looked over his odd clothing style.

He sort of reminded her of her friend Jecht; what with his yellow short-sleeved shirt that only went halfway down his stomach and was opened to show off his chest. He had an armguard on his left arm and black overalls. He even had the same weird J on his shorts and on a necklace. The only major differences between the two men were that this one was blonde and had no scars that she could see.

Glancing back at his face she finally answered him. "One could ask you the same thing. But to answer your question, I haven't the faintest idea. I just suddenly found myself here. Now what about you?"

The unknown boy shrugged as he resumed his walking. "Dunno, some… thing attacked my city, there was an explosion, I was thrown into a black mass and here I am."

"Well that's certainly interesting. Well I suggest-" she was cut short as the bridge they were walking on crumbled and they both plummeted into the freezing water below.

Kagome took a deep breath as she felt her body being pulled under. One glance showed her that a fish-like creature had grabbed a hold of her ankle and was pulling her further away from the surface with an expression of glee.

Obviously it thought to make her its next meal however Kagome had no intention to allow that to happen and with a fleeting thought the monster screeched as it dissolved. A shift in the water warned Kagome to move a second before another one of the monsters came flying towards her. Looking around she found the blonde engaged in battle with two more of the creatures. Quickly disposing of the one in front of her she hurried over to help him only to find her skills weren't needed; a _much_ bigger fish had appeared, probably drawn by the commotion, and had attacked the last remaining creature.

The two breathed a sigh of relief only to realize they weren't out of danger yet. The giant fish had noticed the two humans and decided that they would make a better meal than the thing already in its mouth. So once it spat out the bony fish it headed straight for them.

Realizing this new creature's intentions, the man grabbed a hold of Kagome and dragged her along as he tried to find a way away from the giant fish chasing after them. Glancing backward he noticed it was getting closer and silently hoped that the girl would start swimming so that they could speed up, dragging her along was seriously slowing him down. And it appeared that she heard his silent plea as she started to kick her feet and they sped up just in time to make it through a small opening in the rock wall.

Unable to stop, the giant fish ran straight into the wall, forcing the water through and pushing the two further into the rock hallway. Unfortunately the stone wall wasn't as sturdy as it used to be and crumbled from the impact, trapping them inside of the unknown building.

Kagome immediately began to shiver, with her teeth chattering together, she noticed that the male in front of her was cold as well. She could see the goose bumps he was trying to get rid of as he rubbed his arms furiously. "We need a fire," she managed to stutter out.

He only nodded in consent as he looked around. "Stay here, I'll be right back." And before she could say anything he was gone, running down another hallway. He returned a few minutes later with a decidedly triumphant look on his face. "Come on, I got a fire started," he informed her as he led her into a large circular room with aforementioned fire in the middle. It was a small fire, but it was radiating heat and that was all that mattered.

The two teenagers settled themselves as close to the fire as they could without fear of setting themselves ablaze.

"I'm Tidus, what's your name?" the blonde asked once he was settled.

She looked up from the fire and smiled slightly, "Kagome."

"Kagome…" he muttered softly, testing out her name. "How old are you?" he asked suddenly.

"What? I'm 18. Why?"

Tidus glanced over her body and she realized that her wet shirt was clinging to her body. "You don't look like a 18 year old…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked offended as she crossed her arms over her breasts.

He opened his mouth to say something then thought better of it and paused to think of something else to say. "You're very fit. Most teenage girls are skinny but they're more the don't-eat type of skinny instead of the well-toned type of skinny."

"Hm… nice save Tidus."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nevermind…" Kagome closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. As usual her sleep was plagued by memories.

"_Move it you idiot!"a white-haired boy shouted, roughly pushing her to the side as he jumped at the monster in front of her. The monster was cut down with one stroke of the boy's sword and blood sprayed all over the two of them._

"_I could have handled that Inuyasha. And it would have been a lot less disgusting."_

"_Feh."_

_Kagome growled angrily, "Why do you always think I can't handle it Inuyasha?"_

"_Because you _can't_ wench. The only thing you're good for is finding the jewel shards."_

"Damnit! I'm worth more than that!" Kagome sat up screaming.

Tidus shot up from where he was hunched over the dying fire. "Uh, are you ok?"

Kagome rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry… bad dream is all."

"Right…"

Before either of them could say anything else, a giant spider-like fiend jumped down in front of them.

"What the heck is that?!"

"Who cares! Just kill the damn thing!" Kagome shouted, she'd always been petrified of spiders…

Tidus did his best to kill the fiend, unfortunately things weren't looking good from their point of view. Just as that thought crossed both of their minds a loud blast from the sealed door drew their attention.

A bunch of funnily dressed people entered through the dust cloud and a girl came and took a place beside Tidus in fighting the fiend. With her help it was dead in no time.

Kagome watched as the girl took off her goggles and her attention was drawn to her strangely swirling eyes. _Al bhed_, she thought glancing at the new group warily. And she was right to.

One of the men grabbed Tidus by the hair, ignoring the blonde's shouts and asked aloud, "Fryd ec drec?" (What is this?)

"Y fiend! Eh risrh teckieca! Oac! Ed ec cu!" (A Fiend! In human disguise! Yes! It is so!)

Kagome snorted, he reminded her of Auron when they first met. She decided to step in when a third man brought a blade to Tidus' throat and proposed "Fa gemm ed?" (We kill it?)

"Fyed. Fryd ev ed ec risyh?" (Wait. What if it is human?) the girl opposed.

"Ehtaat. Fryd ev ra ec?" (Indeed. What if he is?) Kagome asked, finally stepping out of the shadows.

Everyone froze and turned to look at Kagome. "Fru yna oui?" (Who are you?) they asked in unison.

"Hud y fiend, drydc vun cina." (Not a fiend, that's for sure.)

"Ruf tu oui ghuf Al Bhed?" (How do you know Al Bhed?) the girl asked suspiciously.

"E fyc dyikrd ed." (I was taught it.) Kagome said like it was the most obvious thing.

"Oui yna lusehk fedr ic." (You are coming with us.) The girl ordered; it appeared like she was the one in charge.

Kagome just shrugged and nodded in acquiescence; anything was better than this freezing shithole.

The female approached Tidus and with only a "Cunno" (Sorry) as a warning, she punched him out.

"Rao! Fyc dryd naymmo halaccyno?" (Hey! Was that really necessary?" Kagome asked angrily. She didn't like when people were excessively violent.

However they all ignored her, and just led her to their ship, one of the men carrying Tidus over his shoulder. They left both Kagome and Tidus on the deck and headed inside.

"Oui yna du cdyo uid rana." (You are to stay out here) the girl informed her.

"Lyh oui yd maycd kad ic cusa pmyhgadc un vuut un cusadrehk?" (Can you at least get us some blankets or food or something?) Kagome asked grumpily. It was cold and she was hungry!

A few minutes later a man come out and approached her. Without saying a word he grabbed her arm and started to drag her back inside with him.

"Woah woah, wait a minute! E cyet fyed!" (I said wait!)

The Al Bhed man turned to look at her impatiently "Fryd ec ed?" (What is it?)

"Frana yna oui dygehk sa?"(Where are you taking me?)

"Oui cyet oui fana lumt yht rihmno nekrd?" (You said you were cold and hungry right?) He acted like that explained everything since he said nothing else and just proceeded to bring her into a room where several other people were sitting around.

Kagome ignored all of them, only forcing a smile of gratitude when a tray of food was set in front of her. She ate happily, reveling in the fact that she could eat to her heart's content. It had been a while since she was able to eat so much; living alone in the desert, it was hard to come across food she was willing to eat.

It was quite some time later that a commotion caught her attention. She had been sneaking around, exploring the ship and avoiding detection for the most part. She glanced out one of the windows and spotted a familiar blonde head. With a smile she rushed back to the first room to grab another tray of food and practically ran outside with it.

"Tidus!" she called happily as she opened the door.

"Huh?" he looked up confusion coloring his features before a grin spilt his face. "Kagome? You're here? And ok?"

"Of course I am, where else would I be?" Now she was the confused one.

"Well I didn't know what happened to you. Last I saw of you was when we were in that cave place before I was knocked out. And I didn't see you at all while I was here. What are you doing?"

"I brought you food," she answered with a smile.

His face lit up, "You read my mind! I'm starving!"

She laughed lightly, "I figured you would be. I was too. They gave me food, but I wasn't sure if they gave you any…"

"No, the only thing they gave me was a couple of bruises and the order to work."

Kagome frowned slightly when the door opened again and the girl from before came back, also carrying a tray of food.

"Fryd?" (what?) Kagome heard her whisper upon seeing Tidus already shoveling food down his throat.

She approached the two sitting strangers and set the tray down.

"More food! Right on!" Tidus exclaimed, having already finished what Kagome had brought him before moving on to the new tray.

Kagome watch in amusement as he began to choke. The Al Bhed girl handed him a canteen that he used to clear his throat. "It's cause you eat too fast!" she chastised, surprising both Tidus and Kagome.

"Hello there. What is your name?" Tidus asked her.

"Rikku."

"So you really do understand! Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I didn't get a chance to! Everyone that oui were a fiend."

"Uh… 'we'?"

"It means 'you'," Kagome informed.

"Who are you guys anyways?" Tidus asked confused.

"We're Al Bhed, at least I am. Can't you tell? Wait… you're not an Al Bhed hater are you?" Rikku asked.

"I don't even know what an Al Bhed is," Tidus replied honestly.

"Where are you from?" Rikku asked suspiciously.

"Zanarkand. I'm a blitzball player. Star of the Zanarkand Abes."

Kagome watched on in slight amusement as Rikku questioned Tidus repeatedly. The young Al Bhed obviously didn't buy anything Tidus was saying. He seemed to realize it too.

"Did I say something funny?" he asked.

"You were near Sin," she replied as if that answered everything. But the look on Tidus' face made her elaborate, "Don't worry you'll be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream?"

Kagome smiled sardonically, she remembered Braska and Auron talking about it when she first arrived. She also remembered using it on more than one occasion as an excuse for her odd behavior.

Kagome was brought back from her thoughts when Tidus uttered, "Luca?"

"Okay, leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, promise! You'd rather stay here? Okay. I'll go tell the others. Wait here. Oh and one thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, okay? Yevon says it's a holy place. You might upset someone." Rikku jumped to her feet and was about to head back inside before she suddenly remembered something and turned to face Kagome, "What about you?"

"Hm? Oh, I suppose I'll go where Tidus goes," she shrugged.

Kagome watched Tidus pace silently. Without warning he turned to face Kagome, "Why did you say you'll go where I go?"

Kagome shrugged again. "We started together," she said as if it made perfect sense. It did in her mind but apparently not to him. "There had to be a reason we both ended up where we did at the same time. Besides I could go for another adventure, my life's been boring this last year." She finished with a grin but in her mind she was thinking, _and maybe I can find _them_ if I travel._

Tidus shrugged, "Ok, sounds fair to me!"

Suddenly the ship started to shake and rumble, throwing Tidus and Kagome off balance. They both rolled across the deck but while Tidus was stopped by the railing Kagome slipped right under it and ended up in the raging water.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha or Final Fantasy X I would be rich. As it is, the only thing I own is the idea of this story, meaning I make NO profits.**

Tidus woke to the feel of water lapping at his body. "Rikku! Kagome?" Something suddenly hit him in the head, he stared at the blitzball in amazement before he suddenly realized what he was staring at. "Blitzball!" he yelled incredulously.

"Hey! You okay?" a man's voice called from the shore.

"Heey!" Tidus yelled, kicking the ball expertly. He followed the path of the ball, swimming to the shore. "Yo. Hiya!" he greeted.

"You wanna try that move one more time?" the man asked in lieu of returning the greeting.

Tidus smiled, it seemed things were starting to look up for him. These people spoke his language, and were amazed by his blitzball skills, definitely an improvement.

"You're not amateur, who you play for?"

"The Zanarkand Abes!" Tidus exclaimed proudly.

"What team you say again?"

The sound of the man's voice made Tidus remember what Rikku had said about Zanarkand. "Uh, I mean… forget that. I uh… got too close to Sin and my head's all foggy-like. So… I don't know where this place is. Or even where I came from…"

"Sin's toxin got to you. But you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon! All right, back to practice! I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda." Tidus' stomach interrupted his introduction. "What, you hungry?" he laughed, "okay, back to the village then, I'll get ya something!"

Tidus followed behind the exuberant red-head. He frowned as he thought, "It's true Zanarkand was destroyed right? A thousand years ago?"

Wakka glanced at Tidus before he spoke, "Long ago, there were a lot of cities in Spira, bit cities with machina – machines – to run 'em. Then Sin came and destroyed the cities – Zanarkand along with 'em – that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said."

Tidus followed Wakka to a cliff where he was suddenly pushed in. Before he could get his bearings straight, he found himself stuck in a headlock, "Hey! Lemme go!"

"Got a favor to ask ya."

"You want me on your team right?"

"A major blitz tournament's coming up. All the teams'll be there! It's so big, I'm sure someone there will recognize you! It'll be fun! What do you say?"

"Sure thing."

Tidus once again followed Wakka towards the village, "Hey Wakka, uh… am I the only – has anyone else shown up on the beach recently?"

"Huh? You be the only one that's washed up in a couple years. Why, you looking for someone?"

Tidus seemed to deflate, "There were other people with me on the boat that Sin attacked, I was just wondering if maybe they'd shown up here…"

Wakka looked uncomfortable as he said, "I'm sure they alright. Hey, why not have a look around the village? I know, go present yourself to the temple summoner."

Following Wakka's advice, Tidus made his way to the temple where he saw people praying to statues. Feeling a little out of place, he walked over to a statue of a man with a staff.

A monk took this chance to speak, "Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became High Summoner; we finally received a statue for our temple."

"What's a High Summoner?" Tidus asked, and immediately wished he hadn't. The temple went silent as gasps issued from everyone nearby. "I uh, got too close to Sin's uh, toxin," Tidus muttered, repeating the same excuse.

Deciding to spare himself from further questioning or embarrassment, he left the temple and headed to the tent where Wakka had pointed to before and decided on a nap. Of course Tidus, being who he is, couldn't stay out of trouble for too long.

When he awoke, he was informed by Wakka that someone was in a place that was potentially dangerous and had yet to come out when they should have returned a while ago. And like the rebellious teenager he was, he ignored the angry monks and ran to find the missing apprentice-summoner.

Tidus made it through the maze-like hallways and along with a recently-arrived Wakka, they descended on a platform. Apparently his worry and subsequent actions were unneeded, since only a few minutes after he arrived, a young woman stumbled out of the door and proclaimed, "I have done it. I have become a summoner!"

The day dragged on for Tidus, as did the night. The only highlight? The giant winged creature that appeared on the whim of the young woman. Valefor… that was the creature's name if he remembered correctly. To him, it was an amazing feat, that such a small, child-like person could control such a creature.

Tidus had approached the young summoner, it was quiet around her, and the loudness of the blitzball team was making him weary. They held a painfully polite conversation; talking of nothing. Although her last sentence made him wonder; she had said, "You can tell me all about Zanarkand!"

That night, while Tidus slept in the bed made for him in the Crusaders' Lodge, he dreamt.

"_Where's the boat?" he asked Yuna._

"_Everyone will find us if it doesn't come soon," she replied._

"_You really sure this is okay?"_

"_Would you take me to Zanarkand?"_

"_Hey!" Rikku shouted, suddenly appearing. "You said you'd go with me!"_

"_Oh, hey… I, uh…" Tidus stuttered, for some reason embarrassed._

"_I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas?" Rikku accused._

"_He did?" Yuna asked._

"_Yeah, so you're coming with me!" Rikku exclaimed, reaching for Tidus._

"_Have you forgotten about me already?" a soft voice asked from behind Tidus._

_He whirled around to come face to face with the black-haired beauty that was Kagome._

"_Hey! Stop dreaming!"_

_Tidus spun around again to see his father standing on the shore._

"_You, with a woman? You can't even catch a ball! Oh, what's the matter? Gonna cry again? Cry, cry. That's the only thing you're good for!"_

"_I hate you." Tidus muttered._

"_Huh? What'd you say?" the man taunted._

"_You have to speak louder," Yuna instructed, suddenly beside Jecht._

"_I hate you!"_

"_Eh?" Jecht asked, laughing now._

"_That's the spirit!" Rikku encouraged, also beside Jecht._

"_You can do it," came the soft voice from behind him. Kagome was the only one who remained on his side._

"I hate you!" Tidus screamed, waking up. He frowned as his dream flooded to the front of his mind along with Kagome's words, "Have you forgotten about me already?" He was ashamed to say that for a moment, he had.

The next morning they began their journey. Tidus got in a little practice fighting against the fiends with the help of the new sword that Wakka had given him. He wasn't at all expecting to have to fight against the giant cat-like creature from before. Thankfully the others stepped in and stopped it before it got too out of hand.

They reached the boat with only a few other minor mishaps. And were soon sailing off to Kilika Port. As promised Tidus and Yuna engaged in a conversation about Zanarkand.

"You're a blitzball player, aren't you? From Zanarkand?"

"You hear that from Wakka? He doesn't believe me at all."

"But I believe you! I've heard, in Zanarkand… there is a great stadium that's all lit up, even at night! Great blitzball tournaments are held there, and the stands are always full!"

"How do you know that?" Tidus asked, amazed.

"A man named Jecht told me. He was my father's guardian."

"My father… his name is Jecht."

"Amazing! You know, our meeting like this must be the blessing of Yevon!"

Tidus was more than a little skeptical, "Sounds like him, but it can't be him."

"Why not?"

"He died. Ten years ago. Off the coast of Zanarkand."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Tidus shrugged, "He went out to sea for training one day and never came back. No one's seen him since."

Yuna gasped, "Why that's the day that Jecht came to Spira. It's true!" she added at the disbelieving look Tidus shot at her. "I first met Jecht ten years and three months ago! I remember, that was the day my father left. The date fits, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, but how would he get here?"

"You're here, aren't you?"

Tidus didn't know what to say, but it didn't matter, their conversation was cut short when the ship shook violently and Sin broke the surface of the water.

Everyone battled against the horrible monster, trying to keep it from reaching its destination, trying to protect the oblivious people of Kilika.

* * *

Kagome shook herself as a bad feeling crept through her body. She knew this feeling, it has been happening to her for well over 2 years. It was the feeling she got whenever a particularly strong demon was nearby in the feudal era. But only one thing caused this feeling in Spira; Sin.

The miko jumped up from the table she was currently sitting at. The people that had been sitting around her looked at her in confusion. "There's no time to explain. Get everyone to the temple! Hurry!" When they hesitated she growled, "Sin's coming!" That got them moving; they all ran out and split up to inform everyone.

Kagome ran out of the hut she had been staying in for the past couple of days. She had woken up in a bed here, and an elderly woman had informed her that her son had found her floating in the sea while he was practicing for blitzball. The town had been very welcoming and accommodating towards her when they learned of her recent run-in with Sin.

Kagome shook herself out of her thoughts, now wasn't the time to think, she had to act. She ran down the boardwalk, yelling for everyone to forget about their belongings and just head towards the safety of the temple. It wouldn't be long… she could feel it.

Seeing the large wave heading towards the island, Kagome increased her speed and ran into the woods. Ignoring the beaten trail, she ran straight through the trees and up the stairs to the temple grounds.

Sin came down on the island with a vengeance, the strong winds and raging waves tore through the village, ripping anything and everything apart. The temple was not untouched, but its position had made it safer for everyone who had made it. That's not to say that everyone was unharmed, quite a few people suffered injuries, Kagome included, but most were only wind-whipped and drenched.

* * *

When the S.S. Liki pulled into Kilika Port, everyone walked off somberly. Yuna ran down and approached the small group of people ahead. "Greetings! I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the temple in Besaid. If there is no other summoner here, please allow me to perform the sending."

The group seemed to sag in relief, "Thanks be to ye. Not many have died, but we feared they would become fiends!"

Lulu looked around at the damaged town, "With this destruction, how is it that not many have died?"

"We owe our lives to Lady Kagome!"

"Kagome?" Tidus asked as everyone else in his group questioned, "_Lady_ Kagome?"

"Yes. Lady Kagome managed to warn us of Sin's coming minutes before it arrived. She gave everyone just enough time to make it to the temple grounds. Although, not everyone made it, and not everyone was unharmed. The wounded are still at the temple being tended to by Lady Kagome. She has already helped to prepare the dead for a sending, all that is needed is a summoner, if you would follow me?"

Everyone followed the old woman down the ruined walkways to find a bunch of caskets submerged in the water. Tidus had wanted to go find Kagome, but he had no idea where the temple was, so he opted to stay with everyone and hope that they would be going there soon.

He watched in awe as Yuna performed the 'sending'. Of course, he had to ask Lulu what a sending was; she grudgingly informed him that a sending was the act of guiding the dead souls to the Farplane so that they would not become fiends.

Unfortunately, they did not go to the temple that day. It wasn't until the next morning that everyone headed to pray at the temple. They had fought against a few new fiends, including a strong Ochu, before they headed up the temple's stairway.

Everyone tried to lighten the mood by racing up the stairs, but they ended up running headfirst into battle against a Sinspawn. The battle was tough, but they managed to defeat it and walk away with only minor wounds.

Entering the temple grounds however did not keep the group from confrontations. This time it was against another group of men, all wearing the same uniform.

"You here to pray for victory too?" Wakka asked.

"Us? Pray? Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!"

"Oh yeah? Then why are you here?"

"We've been praying for some competition this year!"

The entire Besaid Aurochs team got into a fighting position and the Luca Goers followed, but before anyone could make a move, a soft but commanding voice cut through the tension, "I do hope you aren't planning to fight on the temple grounds right after Sin's attack."

The Luca Goers all straightened and backed up, showing a small figure limping towards them. "Our apologies Lady Kagome."

At first the group from Besaid mistook the figure for an old woman but upon closer inspection the figure was revealed to be a young girl.

Tidus all but gaped at the young girl, "Kagome?!"

The young girl's head whirled around at the sound of her name being screamed so informally. A grin split her face as she caught sight of the blonde, "Tidus," she breathed happily. She limped towards him as he approached her and they met in a hug. Neither noticed the jealous look that the young summoner shot at them.

"I've been looking for you," he admitted.

"What miss me already?" she teased, pulling away with a laugh.

"No, shut up," he grumbled, "We were supposed to do this together remember? I was just worried because we got separated from the get-go."

Kagome laughed, "From the get-go huh? I haven't heard terminology like that in a while. So what brings you here now? Besides arguing with these pompous blitzball players?"

"Lady Kagome!" the Luca Goers all exclaimed.

She turned a glare on them. "You're still here?" she asked in mock surprise before her expression hardened again, "You've already prayed at the temple haven't you? _For some good competition this year_?" she sneered, "then you have no more business on these holy grounds. Leave before _I_ start a fight."

Their expressions hardened but they all bowed to her respectfully before they did as she ordered and left.

Once she was sure they were gone she turned back to the group and smiled warmly, "There, now go ahead and pray, you don't have to worry about them coming back. If you'll excuse me, there are still injured people that need my attention."

"Lady Kagome?" Yuna spoke. Kagome stopped and turned her head around. "I wanted to thank you for preparing the bodies for the sending."

"Ah, so you are the summoner that everyone's been talking about."

"Yes. What have the people here been saying about me?" Yuna asked, she seemed worried.

Kagome shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I've been busy healing the injured," she answered as she limped away. "You should head to the temple Lady summoner," she called back before kneeling in front of a bandaged man.

"So you know that girl Tidus?" Wakka asked.

"Yeah, remember how I'd asked if anyone else had shown up on the beach? She's one of the people that was on the boat with me before Sin attacked."

"Oh, do you know her well?" Yuna asked innocently. "Your greeting was very warm."

"Not really, I had only met her a little while before that. I was just worried about her because we had agreed to find people we knew together."

"Well judging by the way the old woman from yesterday spoke of her, I'd say Lady Kagome is known here."

Tidus shrugged but said nothing. They all walked into the temple but before they could start up the stairs a woman exited the door on top followed by a large man.

As seemed the norm for the group, they once again found themselves in a less than polite conversation. After a few more mishaps, they left the temple along with Yuna's newest aeon, Ifrit.

Once outside, Tidus froze. Yuna stopped beside him concerned, "Are you okay?"

"I… I don't know."

"What do you want to do?" she asked worriedly.

"To scream real loud." And Tidus did exactly that. His scream startled everyone, including Kagome who had just finished healing the last injured person.

* * *

Kagome stood up with a groan and stretched her sore muscles before she sagged tiredly.

"You should get ready Lady Kagome, the ship leaves in a few hours for Luca. Perhaps there you can find someone who can help you regain your memories."

Kagome smiled at the old man guiltily. Several people here had claimed they remembered her from years past, but Kagome had been here only once and that was but a year ago. "I cannot leave yet, the village is still in ruins."

"Nonsense, you have done more than enough for us. Without you, many more would be dead. You have prepared the deceased for a sending and healed those who were injured even though you yourself are still injured. There is nothing more you need to do. Now go get ready and get on that ship before I sic my grandson on you."

Kagome paled, this man's grandson was 20 and had been dogging her every move since she woke up. The old man laughed at the look on her face and gently pushed her along. Taking his threat to heart she hurried as fast as her pained leg would let her down the stairs and towards the ship. She had nothing to collect, all of her belongings were still at the oasis in the Bikanel Desert.

As soon as Kagome boarded the ship she headed down to the cabins and claimed a bed where she almost immediately fell asleep. She woke a few hours later and made her way up to the deck, her leg was still sore but it felt better than before.

She watched as Tidus approached a blitzball and after a series of complicated moves sent the ball sailing across the water. She smiled to herself as the entire blitzball team as well as the summoner from before crowded around him. She listened but didn't bother to interfere.

"Whoa! What's that called?" the red-head asked.

"Doesn't have a name. Anyone can do it if they try."

Kagome smirked at that before she headed up a flight of stairs to a small platform where she sat and relaxed. She watched Tidus interact with the young summoner. She couldn't hear what was being said, but he seemed comfortable with her. She frowned to herself slightly, why did those two people continuously draw her attention? Her seriousness faded when Tidus was whacked in the head by another blitzball, and she let a small smile grace her features as she watched the blonde interact with everyone.

* * *

"Why are you on this boat?"

The question startled Kagome awake and she fleetingly wondered when she had fallen asleep. She was shocked to see the sun, how had she managed to sleep on this uncomfortable wooden platform? A throat being cleared drew her attention to the crowd of people surrounding her. It was the group from the temple at Kilika. "I'm sorry what?"

"I asked why you were on this boat," an older woman in a black dress asked. _Gothic_ passed through Kagome's mind fleetingly.

"Because it's the only boat headed for Luca."

"Yes but why are you not still in Kilika?"

"Because I'm on a boat headed for Luca," Kagome stated, obviously thinking this woman was lacking something.

The woman sighed in aggravation. "Why are you headed to Luca, instead of staying in Kilika where you were working."

"You make it sound as if I abandoned those in need," Kagome informed innocently, well aware that that was what the woman was trying to do. "My services were no longer required. They told me to head to Luca like I had been planning on doing well before Sin attacked."

"Why are you headed to Luca?" the young summoner asked.

"Because that's where Tidus wanted to go," Kagome informed them.

Everyone turned to look at the young blonde man who was startled to have all the attention on him, "Uh see, there was another girl on the boat with us before Sin attacked and she said that our best chance of finding someone who knew us was in Luca."

"Right. So here I am, on a boat headed for Luca because Tidus and I had planned to find someone who knew us there."

"And if you do not find anyone?"

"Well then… hm…" Kagome was stumped. She hadn't thought about the possibility that she wouldn't find one of her guys there. "I don't know."

"She can come with us can't she?" Tidus asked suddenly. Everyone once again turned their attention to him. "I mean, I kind of promised her that I would stick with her until she found someone that knew her. I can't just break that."

"That is not your decision to make," the woman said harshly.

"Ah, Lulu it's alright," the summoner said quickly.

"Do you even know how to use a weapon if given one?"

"Um… not really…" Kagome replied sheepishly. She had never been able to wield any of the weapons she was given and forced to try. They were all wrong; too heavy, too light, too long, too short; the list went on.

Lulu covered her face with her hand and shook her head. But before anyone else could say anything Kagome was squeezing through all of them and headed down the stairs; her stiff leg giving her an awkward gait. The ship had just docked.

Hoping to avoid the group, Kagome took off as soon as the boat came to a complete stop. She wandered around the crowded place, until whispers of a name caught her attention. She followed the whispers all through town, it took her a few hours before she finally found the man who was, oddly enough, walking with a familiar blonde.

**A/N: Another chapter done. Yay! I'm extremely pleased that some people have already taken a liking to this story even though its just begun. I'd love to hear what you think, opinions and constructive criticism are welcome. So make sure you Review. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I own neither Inuyasha, Final Fantasy X nor any of its characters. No profits except for my own entertainment.**

* * *

"Auron?!"

The man turned and stared at the approaching girl in shock. "Kagome?"

Kagome felt a smile spread across her face as she stared at the guardian. Without another word she ran and jumped on the older man.

He caught her effortlessly and spun slightly to balance himself. He held her, unable to believe that she was in his arms.

She pulled herself out of his arms before looking around, searching. "Where's Papa?"

Auron shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze. He glanced behind her to see Yuna and her guardians as well as Tidus watching their exchange curiously.

"Auron? Where's Papa?" she asked again.

"Kagome… he died."

"What?" she asked disbelievingly. "How? He couldn't have. He was the best…"

"I know Kagome. That's why he's dead."

"I don't understand…"

"Kagome…" He pulled her into his arms and bent his head down to whisper in her ear. "He was a summoner. He did what he had to do. That was his duty."

"So you're saying that in order to be successful you have to di-"

"Yes Kagome. That is how it is. This is Spira, the Spiral of Death."

"That's stupid!" She tried to fight back her tears but a few still leaked past rebelliously.

"Kagome… don't cry…"

"I'm _not_ crying," she whispered, rubbing at her face furiously.

"Kagome, please calm down."

"How am I supposed to be calm Auron? You're telling me that my Papa is dead! What, is Jecht dead too? Are you the only one that's left?"

"In a sense…"

In her anger, her control over her powers slipped and she heard Auron hiss quietly. She quickly pulled away from him and stared in horror as tendrils of smoke rose from his body. "You're…"

Auron caught her as she fainted and gently picked her up and held her in his arms. Cradling her small frame to his chest he took the last few steps and approached the young summoner.

"Sir Auron?"

"Yuna. I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?"

"You serious?" Wakka asked, gaping at the older man.

"You refuse?"

"No, no! We accept! Right, everyone?" Yuna exclaimed hurriedly, glancing at her guardians.

"Of course! No problem at all!"

"But why?" Lulu asked, she was obviously the only one brave enough to ask the question on everyone's mind.

"I promised Braska," he said simply.

"You promised my father? Thank you! You're welcome to join us!"

Auron shifted Kagome's weight slightly, just long enough to pull Tidus over. "He comes too."

"Eh… Hi guys…"

"This one I promised Jecht."

"Is Sir Jecht alive?"

"Can't say, haven't seen him in ten years."

"I see…"

"What's our itinerary? Where are we headed next?"

"Um, Sir Auron…"

He turned to look at Yuna questioningly.

"What about… her…?" she asked, nodding at the young woman in his arms.

"She comes as well."

The summoner mustered up enough courage to ask, "why?"

He raised a brow at her in amusement. "She, I promised to both Braska and Jecht. And _I_ wish her to accompany us. She will be a great asset to you if you haven't discovered already."

"You promised my father again? As well as Sir Jecht? How does she- who is she to them?" she asked, trying to hide her bitterness.

"That I cannot say. It is not my place to tell another's story."

Yuna didn't say anything else; instead she turned to Tidus and smiled. "Hey! Come with me!"

Auron, Wakka, and Lulu watched the two youngest walk away.

"Sir Auron?" Lulu asked softly. When she had his attention she continued, "I don't see how she is going to be of help to us. When we met her on the boat from Kilika she told us she had no experience with any type of weaponry. I don't see how that will be-"

"You, out of everyone, should know that one does not need weapons to be of use," he replied simply.

They all watched the two youngest of the group, wondering what exactly they were doing as they laughed like hyenas. Once they were done, the group headed up the stairs to reach the Mi'ihen Highroad. They ran into many people on the road and made several new acquaintances. They also ran into quite a few fiends; Auron had to hand the still unconscious Kagome over to Kimahri a few times while he dealt with some of the tougher fiends.

Kagome regained consciousness just as they were arriving at the traveler's agency. She shifted uncomfortably until Auron realized she was awake and set her down. She cast him a wary glance but said nothing and began walking towards the shop. "We rest here," she heard Auron state. She also heard Wakka immediately begin to complain until a well stated reprimand from the oldest guardian put a stop to it.

She walked inside and approached the woman behind the counter. She looked like the woman that was here the last time they came only older; maybe she was the other girl's mother? Pushing that thought aside she smiled and asked for a room in Al Bhed. "Lyh E kad y nuus vun dra hekrd? Bnavanypmo y cehkm'a, drydc vindran yfyo vnus dra udranc dryd yna kuehk du pa lusehk eh?" (Can I get a room for the night? Preferably a single, that's further away from the others that are going to be coming in?)

"Cina. Mad sa caa fryd E lyh tu. Ec drana yho byndelimyn naycuh vun drec naxiacd?" (Sure. Let me see what I can do. Is there any particular reason for this request?)

"Hudrehk dryd oui haat du luhlanh ouincamv fedr." (Nothing that you need to concern yourself with.)

"Oh… your room is the last one at the end of the hall on the right," the clerk informed, handing over the key to her room.

Kagome grabbed the key and headed for her room. As soon as the door was shut and locked, she collapsed on the bed in tears. Once again she had lost her family, her papa. Sure she had been taken away from him over a year ago, but she always thought that she would see him again, because a year wasn't such a long time after all. But now she had been told by Auron that Braska was dead, and so was Jecht, the man who acted like a very annoying older brother. She fell asleep with tears in her eyes for the first time in almost 8 months.

"_Braska-papa!" The three older men spun around, surprised by the shout. They were even more surprised when they saw Kagome tackle a fiend that had managed to sneak up behind them and was about to attack._

"_Kagome!" they all screamed, scared to think what this fiend could do to the small woman._

_She surprised them all (herself included) when a sword appeared in her hand. With only a slight pause, she sliced at the fiend's throat. Unfortunately that moment's pause turned a potential beheading into an angry wound._

_The fiend snarled in pain and turned its attention to the girl on its back. With another angry growl, the wolf-like fiend threw Kagome off its back and pounced._

_The Summoner and his Guardians shouted in horror and raced towards the brawl. But by the time they got there, Kagome was pushing the fiend's dead body away from her. The sword in her hand disappeared as she stood up. She tried to smile reassuringly at the three men but grimaced when Braska grabbed her by the arms._

"_Kagome you IDIOT!! What were you thinking jumping on a fiend like that? It could have killed you!"_

"_I was thinking I didn't want it to kill _you._ Idiot." She muttered the last part under her breath but Braska heard it anyways and smacked her in the head. _

Kagome woke up early. She was unable to rest peacefully with her mind plagued with the memories of her family in Spira. With a sigh she got up and headed out of the inn. Heading around to the back of the building she found some conveniently placed crates and hauled herself onto the roof where she settled herself. She allowed herself to relax and zone out, content with the fact that no fiends could reach her and everyone else was still asleep.

"E fuimt ybbnaleyda ed ev oui fanah'd uh dra nuuv." (I would appreciate it if you weren't on the roof.)

Kagome was startled from her daze by the statement. "Fryd?" (What?)

"Dra nuuv. Ed fych'd piemt vun baubma du pa uh, pid vun baubma du pa ihtan." (The roof. It wasn't build for people to be on, but for people to be under.)

"Ur nekrd... cunno" (Oh right… sorry.) Kagome jumped down from the roof and landed before the man who was all but gaping at her.

"Kagome?"

Said miko eyed the man suspiciously, she didn't recognize him so how did he know her. She voiced her thoughts, "Ruf tu oui ghuf so hysa?" (How do you know my name?)

"E tuh'd pmysa oui vun vunkaddehk fru E ys, ed'c paah 10 oaync yvdan ymm. E ys Rin, dra ufhan uv draca ehhc. E sad oui frah oui fana rana fedr Lord Braska vun dra vencd desa. Oui tuh'd caas du ryja lryhkat y ped." (I don't blame you for forgetting who I am, it's been 10 years after all. I am Rin, the owner of these inns. I met you when you were here with Lord Braska for the first time. You don't seem to have changed a bit.)

"Tet oui cyo 10 oaync?" (Did you say 10 years?) Kagome asked incredulously. When the Al Bhed nodded she paled and excused herself. Rushing into the inn she began banging on each door, searching for Auron. She had ended up knocking on 5 doors, before she found the right one. She didn't even apologize for waking everyone up.

They now all stood, watching as the still-mysterious girl paled even further as she stared at a tired Auron.

"What is it Kagome?"

"I- How long- um… when was the last time you saw me?" Kagome asked, her voice fading until it was but a mere whisper.

"The same as when you last saw me, in the calm lands 10 years ago." He looked worried when Kagome began to sway. "Kagome?"

"It wasn't 10 years ago…" she whispered. "It wasn't 10 years ago," her voice rose slightly. "I was only stuck in the desert for a year!" her voice escalated again. "It was only a year. I thought you would find me. I thought you and Jecht and Papa would find me if I stayed put! I didn't leave. I did just like you always told me! 'If we get separated, don't move, we'll find you' that's what you all said!" she was frantic now.

It was Auron's turn to pale, "the desert? Bikanel Desert? You stayed there by yourself for that long?"

Kagome nodded, tears streaming down her face steadily. "You never came to find me, so this time I came to find you! I found you, so take me to Papa," she demanded suddenly.

Auron looked pained, "Kagome, I told you, he's dead."

"No he's not! You said he was successful! If he was successful then why is Sin still here?! You're lying!"

Auron grabbed the hysterical girl by the shoulders and made her look at him, "Kagome. He defeated Sin. That was 10 years ago. It may have been a year to you but for me and the rest of Spira, it has been 10 years. Sin was reborn."

"That's not true! Then where's Jecht? Why are you the only one that's left?!" she cried out, pounding against the man's chest.

The group watched on in confusion and shock. The aloof girl was suddenly crying and acting like a child, and Auron who was well known for his cold nature was pale as he comforted the young woman. Auron sighed as he stood up with her in his arms; it seemed to the onlookers that she had cried herself to sleep.

Auron turned his attention to Yuna and her guardians, "This changes nothing. We leave as planned." He turned and entered his room to grab his things before he came back out, Kagome still in his arms.

"Someone help! The chocobos!"

"That's our cue, let's go," Auron instructed, leading the way out of the inn. He paused to place Kagome down against the wall of the inn before continuing towards the chocobo corral where he could see the giant fiend.

Kagome woke and found herself outside leaning against the building. She looked around in confusion, the things Auron told her at the forefront of her mind. She spotted Auron, Tidus, and everyone else about to be pushed off the cliff by a giant fiend. She jumped up and raced towards them, deciding it was the perfect thing to take her anger and confusion out on. Without a moment's hesitation she jumped onto the fiend's back and climbed her way up until she had her arms and legs wrapped around its neck.

"Kagome!" Auron and Tidus shouted in horror, watching as the fiend made to grab at her with one of its huge hands.

Kagome swung around the fiend's head, narrowly avoiding its grasp, she laughed spitefully when instead it hit itself.

"Now is _not_ the time to be laughing you idiot! Get down from there!"

"Why? So it can use its feet against me too?" she asked, jumping onto its arm as it made to grab her again. It was obvious the fiend was getting annoyed, lucky for her it wasn't so bright. She charged her hands as it made to grab her again, and jumped back up, wrapping her legs around its neck, she placed her glowing hands on either side of the fiend's giant head.

Kagome closed her eyes in concentration, making everyone shout at her. Auron had to physically stop Tidus from running forward when the fiend shrieked and reached for Kagome. Right before it grabbed her it froze and dissolved into pyreflies. Kagome landed on the ground hard and let out a grunt of pain. She rolled onto her side and rubbed her sore butt.

Rin approached the group once the pyreflies were gone. "Have you any interest in renting some chocobos? As a token of our gratitude, the first time is free of charge. Please ask the attendant if you wish to rent." He looked down at Kagome in amusement, "Of course, _you_ can rent one for free any time; as long as you refrain from sitting on my roofs."

Kagome snorted in amusement, "Cunno." (Sorry.)

She yelped when a hand wrapped around her arm and yanked her up, "Kagome you IDIOT! What were you thinking jumping on a fiend like that? It could have killed you!"

Kagome surprised everyone when she began laughing; her laugh more pained than amused. "Papa said that once too remember? When I jumped on that wolf-fiend before it could attack you guys?" She was already walking down the trail towards the bridge.

"Yeah well Braska was right. You are an idiot. Don't you ever think before you do things?"

"Too much trouble, it's easier to act first then think about consequences later."

"I knew you spent too much time with Jecht."

"Alright. That's the third time you've mentioned my old man! I want to know how the hell you know him."

"I already told you that I traveled with Jecht and Braska."

"Not you, _you_!" he exclaimed, pointing at Kagome.

"Huh? Me? Wait, Jecht is your dad? _You're_ his crybaby son Tidus?" The raven-haired female gaped at Tidus, her expression comical but her eyes hard.

"I'm not a crybaby! And how do you know my old man?" he repeated.

Kagome grinned goofily, "Just call me Aunt Kagome."

"The hell? You're the same age as me!"

"Actually I think she's older than you by a few months," Auron stated.

"Who cares?! I want to know how she knows my old man, and you for that matter!"

"I fell out of the sky," Kagome laughed, but her eyes were distant. "And papa wanted to save an angel."

"You don't make any sense."

"When Braska, Jecht, and I were leaving Bevelle a figure fell from the sky and landed on the ground in front of us. That figure turned out to be Kagome, who had no idea where she was. Braska, being the overly-kind man that he was, invited her to travel along with us until she regained her memory."

"Wait, so Lord Braska is 'Papa'?" Wakka asked confused.

Kagome nodded with a smile, "Braska-papa was the best. He reminded me of my dad, and always treated me nice. And he always yelled at Jecht when he was being mean to me. Of course… he was always telling me how I reminded him of his 'Yuna' although I don't see how; I'm 10 years older than her!"

"Not anymore you're not."

"Huh?"

"Remember, its' been 10 years." Auron barely managed to hold back a wince as he reminded her of that fact. "Yuna is 17 now."

"Oh… right… I'd like to meet this Yuna girl, just to see why Papa was always comparing me to her."

Auron snorted, "Kagome you idiot, you've already met her. You've been traveling with her for a while now."

"What? You mean _her_?" she pointed at the dumbfounded summoner, "_That's_ Papa's Yuna?"

Yuna looked insulted at that but Kagome didn't seem to notice as she moved and stopped in front of her, forcing the summoner to stop as well. Kagome leaned in – having to stand on her tip-toes to get face-to-face with her – and stared, her eyes traveling all over her face, taking in her features.

"So you are…" Kagome muttered. "You must take after your mother," she stated, staring at the summoner's eyes. "But I do see the resemblance to Papa," she added as she backed away.

"He wasn't your father," Yuna said sourly, before she slapped her hands over her mouth, looking shocked that she actually said that.

Kagome laughed quietly, "I never said he was. He was my Papa."

Lulu joined the conversation, "Isn't it the same? Both imply you think of yourself as his daughter, and he did not sire you."

Kagome looked confused, "What do the two have to do with each other? What does the fact that he didn't sire me have to do with me thinking of myself as his daughter?"

"You calling him your Papa insinuates that you're claiming to be of his family and his blood."

"Ok, I'll agree on the fact that me calling him Papa insinuates that I'm part of his family, but once again I do not see how being of his family and of his blood relate."

"Blood makes family," Lulu stated as if it were obvious.

"Sure, but family doesn't necessarily mean you have to share the same blood."

They all looked at her oddly, all but Auron who knew where this was going.

"I call him Papa because I think of him as my father-figure. And I was his daughter too. Just because we don't share the same blood doesn't mean we weren't family. Jecht and Auron were my older brothers."

"That doesn't make any sense," Yuna said suddenly.

Kagome was extremely confused, why didn't anyone understand? It was very simple, "Blood doesn't make a family, feelings and thoughts do. I used to have a son, when I was 16, before I came here," she didn't notice their horrified looks, "He wasn't _mine_, I didn't give birth to him, but he was my son. I loved him and took care of him like he was my son, and he called me mama, we were family." Remembering Shippou, her eyes filled with tears. "Braska-papa, Jecht, Auron and I, we were family too."

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**A/N: another chapter up for your pleasure. So please make your thoughts known: review (it really only takes a minute) **


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Right, I am terribly sorry I left this for so long. I feel awful leaving those few of you without an update. College has just been a total pain in the ass, but I'm sure none of you really want to read my ranting about it. I also did a very minor change in the prologue, but it was necessary for the plot I just finally finished. So without further ado, Chapter 5 of Until the End. Don't forget to review and tell me how I'm an idiot for not updating earlier.**

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The group was silent as they made their way down the highroad. Kagome shifted restlessly, she just knew they kept looking at her and it made her slightly uncomfortable.

"I- um… I'll meet you guys at the entrance to Mushroom Rock Road kay? There's something I need to do." Before anyone could respond Kagome was running. She surprised them all when she jumped off the cliff that the road was situated on.

They shouted in fear as they raced to the edge to see her. Several let out a breath of relief when they saw her on one of the ruins; she was slowly climbing down using the vines that had grown around the structure.

"Come, we will continue on. She will catch up," Auron stated, adding a silent '_I hope_'.

"Ah but… is she going to be alright by herself? There are fiends and-" Tidus worried.

"As you saw earlier, she knows how to handle fiends. She just needs some time to digest everything she's learned. It's been a rough few years for her."

The group continued down the path to Mushroom Rock Road, with Kagome gone the atmosphere seemed less tense, and they shared a light conversation about the things they passed.

Meanwhile, Kagome had made it down the vine-covered structure and found herself in a clearing where many chocobo were currently jumping around. She blew on her stinging hands and looked around herself. No one was paying attention to her; that was good. She headed through the clearing towards the trail that she was seeking.

"Kweh?"

Kagome jumped in surprise, and she spun around to find a chocobo standing next to her, its head tilted to the side as it stared at her. She smiled at it and approached slowly with her had outstretched. "Hey there… would you mind taking me for a ride? I would be very thankful."

"Kweh kweh!" It jumped and turned, giving Kagome a chance to get on.

With a conveniently placed rock she managed to pull herself up onto the chocobo and rubbed its neck in appreciation. "Thank you," she murmured as it took off.

"Hey! That's our chocobo! Come back here!" an angry feminine voice shouted from behind.

'_Guess they finally noticed me_' she thought in amusement. Ignoring the woman's angry shouts she directed the chocobo down the trail, picking up random items along the way.

By the time the chocobo brought her back to the clearing she was feeling much better. Sliding off of the large bird she rubbed its neck once more, "Thank you again, I really needed that. But you better go back to what you were supposed to be doing before we both get in trouble." She looked over at the woman that started to walk towards them. With a smile she bolted, running as fast as she could towards another trail that she knew would take her to the entrance of Mushroom Rock Road.

Kagome got there just in time to see the group walking through the guarded gate. The guards were too busy saluting and trying to look important that they didn't notice her slip past. She sighed to herself as she approached the group, it was always so easy to get past guards.

She got there just as Auron walked away. She followed him with her eyes, confused.

"And who is this young woman behind you all?"

Kagome's eyes snapped to the person speaking just as all their eyes turned to her. She almost smirked when she noticed their surprise but decided to ignore it and returned her attention to the man she did not know.

"She's of no consequence," Lulu dismissed her easily.

"I… see. Well, Sir Auron must be a great asset as a guardian." His eyes locked with Kagome's and he smirked.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, but did not look away. It was a dominance thing she picked up while traveling in the feudal era.

Their eyes stayed locked even when he spoke, "There's no need for formalities."

Finally, after what felt like minutes to Kagome, he dropped his eyes to take in her appearance. She used the opportunity to do the same. He was tall, that was obvious, and powerful as well, she noticed as his aura brushed against her. She stiffened at the underlying evil she felt. Trying to act normal, she continued to look him over, his hairstyle was, simply put, weird; his blue hair seemed to sprout 3… antlers, even as the rest of it hung down to his neck. His clothing left his entire chest and abdomen bare, showing off his tattoo and stomach. She just knew he wasn't completely human, that thought was reinforced when she caught sight of his long hands and fingers.

"But using machina is bad, isn't it?" Wakka's question brought Kagome back to her surroundings.

"Pretend you didn't see them," Seymour shrugged.

"Beg your pardon, but that's not something a maester should say."

"Then pretend I didn't say it."

Kagome couldn't help but smirk. It was amusing to watch Wakka sputter. In the short amount of time that she spent around the blitzball player turned guardian, she noticed how utterly and blindly devoted he was to the teachings of Yevon. It annoyed her that he brushed off everything others said if it even hinted at doubting his beloved teachings. Even if she didn't like this maester, she would tolerate him just to see him get a rise out of Wakka.

She watched him leave with a wrinkle of her nose. Even his walk was conceited. She lagged slightly behind when the group moved on. They were approached by a nervous looking man decked in armor.

"Excuse me Lady Summoner Yuna? Maester Seymour requires your presence at the command center. Take that road there, it's not too far."

So once again the group was off, and once again Kagome trailed behind them, watching them interact with each other as well as the others around them. When they finally reached the command center they were greeted by a somewhat… rounder man dressed in robes. He tried to approach and hug Auron, but to Kagome's amusement was clearly avoided.

Kagome watched as everyone around her prepared for battle. She tried to find a quiet spot, but ended up settling herself against the wall of rock behind her. Closing her eyes she tried to meditate, she could already feel the dread filling her as Sin drew closer. Her eyes snapped open and she stared out into the deceptively calm waters farther ahead. The feeling grew and her breath became short.

"Will Sin come?" Yuna's question drew Kagome's attention away from the ocean.

"Sin always returns for its spawn, but just to make sure we're going to encourage them to call out to it."

"You won't have to, Sin will come," Auron stated, glancing quickly at Tidus.

Kagome pushed herself up as several guards started to electrocute the trapped sinspawn, and almost collapsed as her entire body tensed and hummed. She cringed and barely held back the cry that was trying to rip through her.

Auron quickly caught her and helped her up, "Are you alright?"

"He's coming," she gasped out.

Before he could question her one of the sinspawn escaped the cage and they had to take care of it. Quickly defeating it, Kagome went rigid, "He's here!"

Sure enough as soon as the last syllable left her lips, Sin emerged from the water throwing everyone into action. Chaos ensued and Kagome could do nothing but watch on helplessly as fighters fell by the dozens. They did all they could, not even the Al Bhed's energy beam could damage Sin.

_So this is what Sin can do_, Kagome thought as she watched Tidus run, screaming, into the ocean after the retreating Sin. This was the first time she had ever seen the ruthless damage Sin did. Sure she saw the attack at Kilika, but it was nothing like this. She felt her soul cry out at the numbers that died.

It was hard to believe that Sin, one being, a single entity, could do such horrific damage without even trying. Not even the final battle with Naraku had been this bad, and that was an actual war with many fighters on both sides.

Kagome felt sick as she stared down at the body in front of her, or at least part of it. The man was cut cleanly in half, his insides spilling out onto the sand while his legs and waist lay a few feet to her left. It wasn't the sight that got to her, but the atmosphere, the feelings of those still alive. Unable to take it anymore, she left the beach, careful to avoid any more bodies.

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With eyes closed, Kagome groaned as each and every muscle on her body relaxed. The hymn of the faith reverberated around the small room, his deep voice soothing her nerves. She began to hum along, rocking slightly as her spirit lifted.

"Kagome," the low male voice spoke as the hymn stopped.

Opening her eyes she looked up at the translucent male standing in front of her and once again felt her heart clench in sorrow. She averted her eyes from his. "I'm sorry," she whispered. It was her fault that he was here, forced to degrade himself every time he was summoned by a mere human.

A low growl made her head snap up to look at him again. "Don't do this to yourself again little miko. It was not your fault."

She stayed silent, knowing better than to try and argue with him.

"We were all at fault for thinking we could try and destroy that bauble. It was meant to keep the suffering on earth at a balance. Our actions permanently changed that balance and the future of the world."

"I'm the one that-"

"Yes, you were the one that ultimately changed things, but only because we forced you, we all pressured you until you couldn't fight back anymore. That is why we have suffered in peace until now."

"Until now?" she asked softly, almost afraid to hear him elaborate.

"We are tired of suffering Kagome. We wish to be able to rest for good."

"I want you to be able to too…"

"Our plans have already been set in motion."

"What are you-"

"Where have you been for so long Kagome? None of us could sense you for many years."

"I… Sin sent me to the Bikanel Desert. My companions had once told me that if we were ever to get separated I should wait for them to find me. I learned my lesson long ago about disobeyed that order, so I did just that. I wanted in the desert for them to find me for a year. But apparently Sin had sent me into the future a few years. He came back for me once again and sent me to another around my age, he is the son of one of my old companions. I don't know why…"

"Sin sensed the danger that you posed, and still pose, towards him. You alone have the ability to finally put a stop to his rebirth. But the new Sin, he has managed to retain some of his memories and humanity. He also knows of your ability, but he too wants to end Sin's reign on Spira."

"How do you know that?"

"We fayth know many things," he said vaguely.

She couldn't help the snort that passed her lips, "The years haven't changed you I can see. I only hope the same can be said for the others."

"For most. Some have been more affected by our imprisonment than others. And others still are very new to this… existence. I am sure you will meet them soon, they have been warned to treat you well and protect you as well as their summoner."

"Ah…"

"Sin's aura is dark and heavy. Do not let the feelings he forces to arise in you bring you down. You must become immune to it. Work on your barriers. You must leave now, a summoner approaches."

Kagome stood, she stared at him longingly, wishing she could just step forward and wrap her arms around him. With a slightly strained smile she exited the chamber, only to come face to… chest with an older and much taller man.

"Oh, my apologies, I did not know another summoner was already here. How odd that the fayth-"

"No, I should be the one to apologize. I did not mean to keep the fayth occupied. We were just speaking with each other. Please, go in, I've stalled your pilgrimage long enough."

The man gave her a confused look but entered the chamber without another word. As soon as the heavy door dropped closed, 2 other boys approached her. One was not much older than her, the other was much younger, a kid.

"Are you a summoner too?" the little boy asked enthusiastically.

She smiled and crouched down slightly, "No, I'm not. If anything I guess I could be considered a guardian… I'm traveling with a summoner anyways."

"Not a summoner? Then what were you doing in there? Only summoners are allowed, it's against the teachings to enter if you're not."

Kagome stood and merely shrugged, "I don't lead my life following rules spoken by hypocrites. If that makes me a traitor then so be it. Besides, it should be up to the fayth to decide who are allowed into the chamber and who are not."

The older man gaped at her while the little boy looked confused. "What? What are you talking about?"

She smiled down at him softly, "Nothing important little one."

"I'm not little. And my name's Pacce!"

"Of course, I apologize. My name is Kagome." Glancing back at the closed door she asked, "Is that summoner your brother?"

"Yes, Isaaru. I'm Maroda by the way."

"A pleasure to meet you. Make sure to guard him well, he seems like a very nice man." With one last smile she left the antechamber and made her way back to the main room of the temple.

She took her time, thinking about what she had been told and trying to decipher what he really meant. The problem with him was that he always liked to be vague or keep things from her. She should be used to it, but that didn't stop her from being annoyed by it. She sighed and decided to think about it later. Maybe someone else could give her some answers, but more than likely she would end up with more questions raised than solved.

She must have spent more time speaking with those boys than she thought, either that or she had walked at a snail's pace. Right before she reached the stairs that led to the main temple, the 3 brothers caught up to her.

"Miss Kagome?"

She turned around in surprise, "You're done already? And in very good condition as well… you must be very strong."

"Ah, thank you…" he seemed surprised by the compliment. "My brothers told me that you weren't a summoner, but a guardian. What were you doing in the chamber of the fayth?"

"No, I am not a guardian either. Well at least, I don't think she considers me her guardian… I travel with the summoner Yuna and her group of guardians. They should be arriving soon actually…"

"Still, that doesn't answer my question."

"No… I suppose it didn't. I needed to speak with the fayth, the… incident with Sin left me feeling quite ill and I had hoped the fayth could help me recover slightly. He did of course, I shouldn't be surprised, they are remarkable people don't you agree?"

That must not have been what he was expecting for he was all but gaping at her. "People?" he mumbled to himself, but she heard quite clearly.

She used that to her advantage and tried to make him forget his questions. "Yes. They are all people aren't they? Just because they are no longer flesh and bone does not mean they were not once like you and I." _Better than you and I actually_.

"I've never thought about it like that."

"Even as aeons they are like us, they still feel pain, especially the pain of dying. I don't know how you handle the aeons when you summon them, but please don't let them be destroyed, it is a pain unimaginable to the human mind."

"Then how would you know?" Maroda asked suddenly.

She couldn't very well tell them that she could feel their pain, so instead she said, "Well imagine what it must feel like to die, to have your very essence rip apart, only to come back and face having to go through it again and again. At least we humans only die once, and we don't even feel that type of pain, we usually lose consciousness before we die completely."

The 2 older brothers stared at her in surprise and awe at her wisdom, unless that was just them looking at her as if she was crazy. She mentally shrugged and decided to be optimistic. She nodded her head at them before turning around and descending the stairs. She drew short when Yuna and the group entered the temple.

Tidus was looking around in awe until he spotted her. "Kagome!" he shouted, drawing everyone's attention to her as he ran forward and hugged her so tightly her feet came off the ground and her chest ached.

"Tidus," she gasped, struggling slightly.

"Sorry, I was just relieved to see you. No one saw you since we were all up at the command center before the Sin Spawn attacked. We were worried that something had happened to you." She doubted the 'we' part. "Are you ok? You're not hurt are you?"

She couldn't help but smile at him, it was almost endearing, to see someone so genuinely concerned about her. "No Tidus, I'm fine. No lasting damage, nothing a little rest and training can't fix."

"Training? How is that going to help?"

Kagome looked up at Wakka, just noticing everyone had moved closer. "I doubt we're referring to the same type of training."

"Kagome doesn't use the kind of weapons any of us would think of Wakka, she has a whole arsenal of her own," Auron explained.

She smiled sardonically, remembering when he, Jecht, and Braska had first found out about her abilities. It was just after the attack of that wolf fiend that Kagome had intercepted.

_They had finally set up camp for the night, and once the fire was blazing and food passed around, all 3 men turned to interrogate the only female of their group._

"_What in all of Spira was that that you did Kagome? In all my years I've never seen anything like it," Auron questioned._

"_That's because it's not from Spira, or at least, I'm not, well that's the conclusion I've come to. Like Jecht is from a different time, 1000 years ago, I too am from a different time. Though I dare not think how long ago it really was. But some of the fayth have informed me of what happened and why I ended up here. I'm still not really sure what my purpose is, but I wish to continue traveling with all of you if you will let me."_

"_Of course we will Kagome. We are just curious as to what you did back there to that fiend," Braska said gently._

"_Well… where I came from, the land was populated by humans and demons. There were people with spiritual powers who helped to keep the humans safe from the demons, they were called monks and mikos. I am actually a miko, and what you saw was some of my ki, my miko power, manifesting to destroy the fiend."_

"_Why haven't you told us about your… abilities before?"_

"_I didn't know they would work on fiends until just then," she said simply, not expecting the outburst that would cause._

_The 3 men all shouted at her, telling her how stupid that was for her to jump into danger without having an actual plan._

_She laughed and told them how she was infamous for doing that back where she came from, and that they would have to learn to deal and adapt because she doubted it would change._

"_What else can you do?" Jecht asked curiously._

"_Hm… well besides using my ki to transform into weapons, I can use it to make barriers, shields against physical and I'm assuming elemental attacks."_

"_Don't you dare try that in battle until we know for sure it works," Braska snapped suddenly._

_She smiled and nodded in acquiescence. "I can also use it to heal, to destroy poisons, mend bones, close wounds. I'm not sure if it will cure things like Silence and Petrify but we can try that eventually."_

"_So… you're kinda like a white mage, but more effective offensively."_

_She shrugged unsure if that was true or not._

"_Well let's relax for now, we can learn more about this later. It's late." Braska ended the conversation by pulling Kagome closer to him and forcing them both to lie down on the cold hard ground._

_Snuggling closer to him, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep with a content smile on her face._

"Well then, I accept your challenge!" Yuna declared.

Kagome looked around in confusion, she had no idea what had just transpired.

"Yuna, I beg your leave. Good luck to both of us!"

Yuna and the rest headed up the stairs and into the cloister of trials. Just as Tidus was about to follow Isaaru called to him, "Hey you! You are Yuna's guardian no? Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you should know."

Tidus stood beside a frowning Kagome as Maroda quickly elaborated, "I heard it from those Crusaders, it seems that summoners have been going on pilgrimage and just… disappearing."

"It could be that fiends just got them, but not many so quick," Isaaru added.

"Sorry I don't know more, but just watch your back. There isn't much future for a guardian without a summoner."

Tidus looked thoughtful and Kagome took this opportunity to question, "Why did you call Tidus away from the group when you could have just told me?"

"You yourself said that you were not a guardian, and that is information a guardian should be aware of."

She rolled her eyes, "Technicalities really. I would have passed on that information if you told me. That's not really something I would hide."

"Even still. Please, be careful." And with that the 3 brothers left the temple.

"Huh… well, coming Kagome?"

"Hm? Oh, no I was already there. I'll be in the inn I spotted outside. Come find me when Yuna's obtained Ixion. Don't forget about me now," she teased as she walked away, lightly brushing her hand over his arm.

Tidus shivered and watched her leave before climbing the stairs and catching up to the others.

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**A/N: aaand there you have it folks, the 5th chapter. Some more Sin action. A little more insight on Kagome's relationship with Braska. And finally a little interaction between Tidus and Kagome. Things will start to pick up a little more now I hope. And can anyone guess who Kagome was talking with in the Chamber of Fayth? **

**Don't forget to Review!!! It'll inspire me to update faster!**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok so first things first. I would like to apologize profusely for the ridiculous amount of time since I last updated. There's just been so much that has happened I haven't been able to sit down and concentrate enough to write anything. **

**I recently found out that I am pregnant. Already 10 weeks in. And at the age of 18, its definately not something I had been planning on doing any time soon. But everything happens for a reason and I am actually very excited. The only problem is, now I'm spending all my time worrying about money and all the things I need to have when the baby actually arrives. **

**So once again, I'm sorry this took so long to come out and that it's not that long, but I felt bad and wanted to give you guys something at least. I'll try my best to get another chapter out as soon as possible.**

Kagome tossed and turned in the bed that she had rented for the night. "No… no…" she mumbled, struggling against some unknown.

Tidus watched her for a few seconds before moving forward to shake her awake, "Hey, Kagome, wake up we're gonna leave soon. Kagome."

She bolted up with a gasp, grabbing Tidus' wrist in a deathgrip.

"Woah! Hey relax, it's just me, Tidus."

"Tidus?" she looked up at him and blinked a few times until her vision cleared. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?" She immediately released his wrist and put her hands in her lap.

Tidus tested his wrist and smiled at her, "Nope, everything seems to be in working condition. Now, are _you_ alright? You seemed to be having quite a dream…"

"Oh, yes… it was nothing. It's just… hm…"

"Kagome?"

"Huh? Sorry, I got lost in thought for a second," she smiled disarmingly, "So, when are we leaving?"

"Soon, we're just waiting on Yuna now. I think I'm gonna go and see if she's awake yet. Auron wants to get moving."

"Auron… yes, he doesn't like to stay in one place for too long. He gets restless." She got out of the bed, unconcerned of the fact that she wasn't wearing any pants. Completely oblivious to Tidus' bright red cheeks, she bent over and picked up her only pair of baggy pants and pulled them on. She tightened both belts and pulled on her shoes before turning back to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, noticing his still pink cheeks. She reached up and placed her hand on his forehead, "You're not getting sick are you?"

"Y-you… uh… n-no," he cleared his throat and looked away quickly, "I'm not getting sick, it's just a little warm here with all the electricity in the air."

If Kagome thought his words didn't make any sense, she didn't say anything and he breathed a sigh of relief. "C'mon, everyone's already outside waiting." He led her to the group before running inside the temple, all without looking at Kagome.

Auron watched the youngest male with a raised eyebrow before turning to look at Kagome, "Something happen?"

Turning to look at her old friend she couldn't help the softening of her eyes, how she had missed him. But she still didn't like the fact that he was unsent, he should be able to rest in peace. She shrugged. "Don't think so. He just woke me up and then I got dressed before he brought me out here."

He chuckled, "And what weren't you wearing when you got out of bed in front of a young teenage boy?"

"Your pan- Oohh…" She laughed then, finally realizing what was wrong. "I probably shouldn't have done that huh?"

"I'm sure he didn't mind the eyeful that you gave him."

Before she could retort, Tidus returned with a disheveled Yuna in tow.

"Yo sleepyhead!" Wakka called with a grin.

"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"There's no rush, really. Here, your hair…" Lulu moved forward with a comb in hand.

"A summoner with bed hair! What's the world coming to?" Wakka teased.

"You could have woken me up!" she pouted. At that point Kagome realized just how young this summoner really was.

"We tried waking you up, but with all that snoring…" Lulu shrugged.

"What is it today? Everyone's picking on me!"

Everyone laughed, even Kagome managed to force a chuckle.

"You too Sir Auron?"

"Once Yuna fixes her hair we'll leave," he joked.

As they all headed for the bridge, Kagome fell back to walk near Tidus, she smiled softly, "I apologize, for this morning. I didn't realize how my actions would… affect you." She giggled when his face reddened. "It's just that I'm so used to being alone, I tend not to think about things like that."

"It's ok," he murmured. "But what about before? When you traveled with Auron and my old man?"

"Oh then? Well, then I was barely 17, they were all at least twice my age. Jecht, he really loved his wife, the entire time I knew him he never strayed. Auron, well sometimes he's just a stick in the mud, he took his position as guardian too serious, he didn't have time to look at women. And Braska, well he was my Papa, like I said, he would never think of me that way. Besides, I'm not much to look at."

Tidus frowned, he completely disagreed. Her thick blue-black hair was long, swishing past her butt whenever she walked. Her heartshaped face was almost angelic, and her cerulean blue eyes twinkled with knowledge. She was short, by far the shortest in their group but she had a nice body, he found out when she got out of bed this morning. It was a shame that she covered it all by wearing such baggy clothing. "We need to get you some new clothes," he blurted suddenly.

"What?"

"Those clothes can't really be good. I mean, they might be comfortable, but they have to get in the way when you move and fight don't they?"

"A little," she admitted.

"Well then, let's talk to Auron and see if we can't get you some new ones."

"Kweh!"

Kagome jumped, startled when the chocobo jumped in front of her. "Oh, hello. I'm glad to see that you weren't harmed in the attack." She reached up and patted its neck before moving around it to continue walking.

"Kweh!"

Looking behind her she was disconcerted to find the big yellow bird following her. Pausing she turned to it, "Now now, you have to stay here. Go back to your owner."

Instead of listening, it moved closer and nuzzled its beak into her baggy shirt, "Kweh!"

She frowned and glanced at Tidus, who was watching everything with a grin. Her frown deepened before she was struck with an idea. In the blink of an eye she was off, running as fast as she could she caught up with the main group and then past them until they were between her and the chocobo. She smirked, satisfied, until her eyes widened in horror.

The damn bird just ran, jumped over the entire group in one leap and landed in front of her, "Kweh kweh!" it chirped happily, flapping its wings. She swore the thing was _grinning_ at her!

Tidus quickly caught up with everyone and started laughing, "Looks like you have an admirer Kags."

She flinched at the nickname before quickly covering it with a glare. "It's not funny. I don't know why this chocobo is following me! But a little help would be greatly appreciated."

"Hey! Wait! I'm not letting you make off with our chocobo again!" a feminine voice screeched.

Everyone turned to see a uniformed woman running towards them, 2 others following her. "That's the girl that stole the chocobo before captain!"

"Stole? Hardly. I only borrowed him for a bit. I returned him in the same shape as I borrowed him. Besides, I'm not trying to take him again. He just… won't leave me alone…"

"And why would we believe that?"

"It's true. She tried to tell it to stay and when that didn't work she tried to run, but it just followed her," Tidus spoke up.

That's when the 3 uniformed people noticed Yuna and her guardians. "Oh, off so early Lady Yuna? You must be exhausted after working all night."

"I feel I've rested enough. Will you be leaving as well?"

"Yes, we will be heading north in search of chocobos to replace those we've lost. Unfortunately, this one is one of the few that survived the attack on Sin."

Throughout their conversation Kagome was trying to sneak away from the chocobo. She ended up behind Tidus, using his body to hide from it. He couldn't help but laugh, it obviously wasn't working, as the bird just followed.

Kagome groaned, it was impossible. She was doomed to be chased by this obsessed chocobo forever. She looked up when footsteps approached them. The uniformed man stepped closer and grabbed a hold of the chocobo's reigns and gently coaxed it away.

"Thank you!" she beamed at him, she laughed quietly when his face reddened and he stumbled slightly when he looked back at her.

"Well now that we've got our chocobo back we'll be off. Lady Yuna I wish you good fortune."

They all watched as the 3 ran off. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief before turning to the rest of the group just as Tidus asked, "So where to next?"

"We cross the Moonflow," Lulu answered, indulging the boy.

"Gotcha! Moonflow baby, here we come!"

Kagome laughed at his antics as she easily fell behind them, unnoticed. As they started down the path that would lead them to the Moonflow, Kagome kept an eye out for the smarter fiends that would try to sneak up behind them when they weren't paying attention or were already fighting other fiends.

They were getting used to fighting the fiends, falling into a steady rhythm. Tidus would take care of the wolf fiends, Wakka, the flying ones, Lulu the elementals, and Auron those with thick armor. Yuna would heal whenever anyone was injured and Kimahri picked up the slack, sticking close to Yuna.

Kagome still felt like an intruder, a stranger to the group. Even after her display of powers on the chocobo eater, they didn't believe she could fight. All because she didn't have a chosen weapon. It wasn't her fault that nothing she picked up seemed to feel right, she liked how the weapons made from her ki were weightless and adjusted to the situation.

Everyone was surprised when, after they were already a good distance away from the temple, they were attacked. It wasn't the attack that surprised them, more the fiend. An Ochu, and by the size of it, an old Ochu, had decided to step in their way and attack. It stood directly in their path and it was much too large to try and avoid. Everyone struggled, trying to damage it as much as possible, but things seemed bleak.

"Yuna, summon Ifrit. You need to practice more with your aeons if you wish to be accepted by Bahamut," Auron ordered, jumping out of the way as a vine came whipping towards him.

With a quick nod the summoner went through the motions and in a matter of seconds Ifrit appeared in a whirl of flames. He took in his surroundings and quickly assessed the situation.

Everyone was shocked when Ifrit jumped in front of Kagome, taking the hit that the Ochu had aimed at her. For the remainder of the battle, Ifrit stayed close to Kagome, only moving when Yuna was in danger.

When the Ochu was finally defeated Yuna tried to dismiss Ifrit, but he remained, much to her confusion. The giant firebeast turned and crooned at Kagome, lowering himself so that his face was even at height with hers. The constant flames and heat that surrounded him detracted and dwindled until they were nonexistent. Only then did the aeon dare to move closer to the tiny female.

Kagome smiled warmly when he pressed his giant face against hers. She calmly brought her hands up and ran them through the long red hair, careful to avoid the still hot black horns.

"Hey," she whispered, "You shouldn't leave your summoner. What if she gets hurt while you're trying to protect me unnecessarily?"

He huffed and she laughed slightly when the warm air messed her air. He butted her chin with his nose and grunted.

"I'm fine. I spent some time with your brother in his temple yesterday. He kept me company and comforted me a little." She smiled when he growled. She fingered the beads around his neck, "What are you guys planning? He wouldn't tell me…" He buried his nose in her thick hair and breathed in deeply. He let out a small whimper before pulling away from her. With another huff he backed up and in a flare of flames disappeared.

"What in Yevon's name just happened?" Wakka asked dumbfounded.

"What?" Kagome asked in confusion, trying to hide the fact that he had startled her. She had kind of forgotten that they were there.

"Ifrit jumped in front of you, protecting _you_ when it should never have left Yuna's side," Lulu stated as if it were obvious. Which it was, to everyone but Kagome and Tidus.

"The aeons are protective of Kagome. This isn't the first time it's happened. They used to do it all the time whenever Braska summoned them. Although Ifrit is much more protective than the others," Auron explained.

"I told him that he shouldn't leave his summoner's side, but he was worried."

"Worried?"

"I think Ixion said something to him about my visit to him yesterday. Ifrit tends to overreact."

"What do you mean you visited him yesterday?" Yuna asked suspiciously.

"I'm not a summoner if that's what you're thinking. You don't have to be suspicious, it's not like I'm going to sabotage your pilgrimage or anything."

"Then what were you doing in the chamber of the fayth? It's against the teachings to enter if you're not a summoner," Wakka interjected.

Kagome shrugged, seemingly uninterested with the conversation. She repeated what she had told Maroda the day before, "I don't lead my life following the rules spoken by hypocrites." She ignored the outraged look Wakka sent her. "Besides, who are they to decide who should be allowed into the chamber of the fayth? They don't own the fayth nor do they control them. Therefore I believe it should be up to the fayth to decide who are allowed in and who are not.

"Anyways, I just went to relax in the chamber after Sin's attack. I wasn't feeling too well and I knew that going to visit him would make me feel a little better. His voice is beautiful isn't it?" She smiled, remembering the way his deep voice soothed her pain away. Then she laughed, "I never would have taken him for the singing type."

"You speak as if you're familiar with Ixion," Lulu stated, more than a little curious and suspicious. Who exactly was this girl that they allowed to travel with them?

"Ixion?" She looked confused for a moment, "Oh, you mean Sesshomaru? Sorry, I'm still not used to their aeon names yet."

"Sesshomaru?" The name was chorused by all in the group, even Auron.

"Yes, that's his real name, the fayth of Ixion. His element should have been ice though, it would have been much more fitting, but don't tell him I said that, he won't appreciate it," she laughed again, this one a little sadder than the last.

"You know Ixion's fayth personally?" Yuna seemed shocked at the prospect.

"Yes." Kagome answered shortly, her tone stating that she was done with the conversation. She had just realized that she was letting too much of herself become known without knowing how they would take that information. It wasn't good to run into a situation blindly, Sesshomaru had taught her that well.

Auron, knowing Kagome the best, quickly changed the subject of their conversation. "We will reach the moonflow in a short while. We can rest there and restock our supplies before we cross to Guadosalam."

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**So there it is. Please review. And feel free to be mean and tell me that you hate me because its been so long and this is all I gave you.**

**There's the Kagome-obsessed-chocobo that BEBEPANTHEON asked for.**

**And a little interaction between Kagome and Ifrit. I'm sure you all know who that is.**

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